Due to the openness of standard electronic communications and the exposure created by information posted on the Internet, participants in certain transactions are increasingly concerned about privacy, especially in situations where the identity of either the items or the participants in the transaction might cause unwanted attention or risk. This concern creates a tension between the desire to maintain privacy, and the desire or need to advertise a product or service or directly participate in a transaction. Typically these transactions are characterized by having an entity that wishes to make a purchase or exchange of goods or services, and another entity that wishes to make a sale or exchange of goods or services.
Typically, transactions or markets where the need for privacy is highly desired are markets for the sale, exchange or donation of high-value or easily identified items such as real estate or other property such as jewelry, art, antiques and so on, or personal transactions or markets such as those for jobs, or personal or business relationships. Thus, it is desirable to provide a private market system and method that protects the identity of either the items or the participants in the transaction until the appropriate time or until permitted by the participants, or that selectively allows access to certain information about the items and/or participants depending on who is requesting to see it, and it is to this end that the system and method are directed.